Automated transmission and method for operating an automated transmission

• US 9,068,648 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2010
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Getrag Ford Transmissions GmbH
• Original Assignee: Getrag Ford Transmissions GmbH
• Inventors: Moehlmann, Reinhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelleher, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Craciun, Valentin
• Application Number:
  US13/378,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20120144940A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,828 Days
• Field of Search: 746/40, 747/301, 747/311, 747/321, 747/331, 475/127, 192/3.57
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0021 Generation or control of line pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0206 Layout of electro-hydraulic control circuits, e.g. arrangement of valves for control of actuators selecting and moving final output members, e.g. shift forks F16H61/2807
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/688 with two inputs, e.g. selection of one of two torque-flow paths by clutches
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19233 Plurality of counter shafts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19251 Control mechanism

Abstract

An automated transmission comprises a hydraulic control device and one or more hydraulically actuated gear units. The hydraulic control device comprises a control unit for setting actuating pressures on the gear units; a base pressure control valve for adjusting a hydraulic base pressure of the hydraulic control device; and a device for controlling the base pressure control valve dependent on the actuating pressures. The automated transmission further comprises a device for switching through an actuating hydraulic pressure to the base pressure control valve. A method comprises the method steps of adjusting a hydraulic base pressure at the hydraulic control device; adjusting actuating pressures for actuating one or more transmission units; switching through one of the actuating pressures to the base pressure control valve; and adjusting the hydraulic base pressure by one of the actuating pressures.

Claims

1. An automated transmission comprising;

a hydraulic control device;

one or more hydraulically actuated gear units; and

at least one pressure control valve connected to an output-side hydraulic line providing an actuating pressure to the one or more hydraulically actuated gear units;

wherein

the hydraulic control device comprises;

a control unit for setting actuating pressures on the gear units;

a base pressure control valve for adjusting a hydraulic base pressure of the hydraulic control device; and

a base pressure control device designed to control the base pressure control valve dependent on the actuating pressures;

wherein

the automated transmission further comprises a device hydraulically connecting the base pressure control valve directly to the output-side hydraulic line such that the highest temporarily required actuating pressure can at any time directly act on the base pressure control valve; and

the base pressure control device is configured to reduce the base pressure at least temporarily and therefore reduce the actuating pressure.

2. The transmission according to claim 1, wherein the transmission is designed as a dual clutch transmission comprising as hydraulically actuated gear units a first clutch for connecting and disconnecting a first partial transmission to or from a powertrain, a second clutch for connecting and disconnecting a second partial transmission to or from the powertrain, and a switching system for shifting gears in the first and second partial transmission.

3. The transmission of claim 1, further comprising a device for determining a highest temporarily required actuating pressure at least at one of the transmission units, the two clutches and the switching system.

4. The transmission of claim 1, wherein the base pressure control device dependent on the actuating pressures comprises a plurality of base pressure control devices for determining a highest temporarily required one of the actuating pressures.

5. The transmission of claim 1, wherein a plurality of base pressure control devices for determining a highest temporarily required actuating pressure are connected in a cascade fashion in series.

6. The transmission of claim 1, wherein the base pressure control device is adapted to adjust the hydraulic base pressure to be by an amount delta higher than a highest temporarily required actuating pressure.

7. The transmission of claim 1, wherein the base pressure control device comprises at least one shuttle valve that is a double-ball check-valve.

8. The transmission of claim 7, wherein the double-ball check-valve is designed to separate the transmission units hydraulically from each other at any of the actuating pressures.

9. The transmission of claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises a hydraulic pilot control device for the base pressure control valve.

10. The transmission of claim 2, wherein the control unit comprises a first pressure control valve and at least one further pressure control valve, wherein by the first pressure control valve the actuating pressure for the first clutch is adjustable and by the further pressure control valve the further actuating pressure for the second clutch or for the switching system is adjustable.

11. The transmission of claim 10, wherein the pressure control valves for adjusting the respective actuating pressures each have a pilot valve for controlling the base pressure control valve dependent on the actuating pressures.

12. The transmission of claim 1, further comprising a device for hydraulically connecting said base pressure control device both with output-side hydraulic lines of the control unit and with the base pressure control valve.

13. The transmission of claim 1, wherein hydraulic apertures are provided within a hydraulic line system of the hydraulic control device.

14. The transmission of claim 2, wherein a temporarily required actuating pressure for actuating the switching system is always higher than one of the first actuating pressure of the first clutch and the second actuating pressure of the second clutch.

15. A method for operating an automated transmission comprising:

a hydraulic control device;

one or more hydraulically actuated gear units, and at least one pressure control valve connected to an output-side hydraulic line providing an actuating pressure to the one or more hydraulically actuated gear units;

wherein the hydraulic control device comprises;

a control unit for setting actuating pressures on the gear units;

a base pressure control valve for adjusting a hydraulic base pressure of the hydraulic control device; and

a base pressure control device designed to control the base pressure control valve dependent on the actuating pressures; and

wherein the automated transmission further comprises a device hydraulically connecting the base pressure control valve directly to the output-side hydraulic line such that the highest temporarily required actuating pressure can at any time directly act on the base pressure control valve; and

the base pressure control device is configured to reduce the base pressure at least temporarily and therefore reduce the actuating pressure;

said method comprising;

adjusting by the base pressure control valve a hydraulic base pressure at the hydraulic control device;

adjusting by suitable pressure control valves actuating pressures for actuating one or more transmission units;

adjusting the hydraulic base pressure by one of the actuating pressures;

reducing the base pressure at least temporarily to a lower actuating pressure; and

directly switching through the actuating pressures to the base pressure control valve so that the highest temporarily required actuating pressure can at any time directly act on the base pressure control valve.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising adjusting the hydraulic base pressure by the highest temporarily required actuating pressure.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising controlling the base pressure control valve by one of the actuating pressures.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising generating an actuating pressure-dependent control signal for controlling the base pressure control valve, said control signal representing a pressure at the output side of one of the pressure control valves that are adjusting the actuating pressures.